Sakowski, Vincent. Not Quite One of the Boys. Seattle: Afterbirth Books, 2007. 236 pp. Paperback. $13.95. ISBN 0976631091.

Not Quite One of the Boys by Vincent W. Sakowski (Some Things are Better Left Unplugged, Misadventures in a Thumbnail Universe) is a strange Bizarro narrative in that it is grounded in reality.

The novel concerns a group of lowlifes tied together by crime, sex, drugs, and faith.  Their lives are thrown into disarray as a result of several traumatic events. The reader sees each character's perspective of these events with a constantly shifting context of the plotline.  Meanwhile we visit God and Satan who are carefully orchestrating everybody's actions.

The sizable cast of characters (and their mottled perspectives) are the tools that propel the story. Sakowski occasionally stumbles in maintaining consistent tones of voice. Overall, however, each character comes across as a vivid, unique, compelling individual.

In Sakowski's world, people believe that they are in control of their own destiny, but the reader learns that multiple factors are actually dictating the final outcome. Free will is disassembled and replaced reality-as-entertainment.  Characters are obsessed with ways to pass the time (e.g. by means of sex, drugs, or profit). Likewise with God and Satan. Despite their cosmic influence, they are almost always surrounded (and constructed) by movies, video games, and other media-related distractions.  They perceive the events that unfold in the book in much the same way as the book's readers: a source of entertainment.

Previously, my only exposure to Vincent W. Sakowski were several short stories in The Bizarro Starter Kit (Orange), and while I enjoyed them, his work is more effective in the longer form. Not Quite One of the Boys is a singular addition to the Bizarro bookshelf.

— Jeff Burk